Learning Forgiveness
by Fedora The Explora
Summary: After Seto Kaiba commits suicide, he ends up stranded between life on earth and the afterlife, thanks to a very sarcastic and eccentric spirit who refuses to let him move on until he helps the people who meant most to him begin to heal. One-shot.


Learning Forgiveness

_Thud. _Seto Kaiba opened his eyes_._

Wait...he shouldn't have been able to do that.

He stood up before realizing he was more like _floating_ up. Everything around him was fuzzy and unfocused, except for a strong, clear voice.

"You're dead, Seto Kaiba."

"Then how am I hearing voices? Doesn't that mean I've just gone insane?" he retorted.

A glowing white light appeared before him, then morphed into a young woman wearing a simple white dress. Her light brown hair hung in loose curls at her shoulders, and her green eyes reflected amusement.

"You know, most people I help don't retain their sense of bitter sarcasm after their soul is permanently separated from their body. I give you props."

Kaiba didn't know what to do or say. This womanly being literally just materialized from something that looked like nothing more than a _light_. Lights weren't solid, yet this...thing seemed to be exactly that. As a matter of fact, so did he.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

The young woman smiled. "My name's Ella. I've been your guide since you were born. You're probably the most stubborn charge I've got, seeing as it was always difficult to get you down the right path. Anyhow, you're stuck here for just a little bit, so you might as well ask me as many questions as you can."

"'_Stuck here_?' What do you mean by that?" Kaiba snarled.

Ella turned away and sighed. "Suicides are never fun souls to cross over. They never remember exactly why they died, or in your case, even really know that they're dead. Not to mention that this isn't where any guide leads their charges. In this case, I'm not allowed to take you on your journey until your physical body has been properly cared for."

Suddenly, Kaiba was filled with a familiar burning pain. The overwhelming kind that made everything in life dark, redundant, and pointless. He felt light headed and dizzy and he almost collapsed. _That's right, the sleeping pills he took to stop that pain. He must have never woken up._ Then he was right back in the obscure existence with the girl who claimed to be his 'guide.' What did that even mean? There's no way this was an angel, not with her sarcastic responses and almost patronizing words.

"So tell me more about this 'guide' stuff you've mentioned," Kaiba finally said.

"Actually, I'd rather just show you. Your funeral is over with and your body has been cremated. Beautiful service, by the way, and more people were there than even I was expecting. The peace lilies were an especially elegant touch. Your request?"

"...No. I never planned my funeral...that must have been up to..." Kaiba trailed off, thinking about his little brother. The child who had to organize a ceremony for the last living family he had. He was filled with pain once again, and Ella clearly recognized that.

"See, the sadness doesn't stop after death. Not for your loved ones, and not for you. This is where I come in. It's my job to take you to the people who have meant the most to you, and show you what they're going through now," she said. "I know you think you did what you did to help them-meaning Mokuba-but you didn't, and that's the cold truth. You are going to have to hang around each person who meant something to you until their personal pain is lessened. That's when I can allow your spirit to move on."

"Well, seeing as Mokuba is the only person who means anything to me, this shouldn't take long, and you can be on your merry way," Kaiba snapped, suddenly stressed out.

"Yeah...no, that's not true," Ella said. "I've actually got two people that you need to visit."

"I never depended or had anyone else ever depending on me. Why in the world would that change after I supposedly died?"

"Come with me and I'll show you," Ella said, extending her hand to Kaiba, who refused to take it. She then began to glow and returned to the state of light, completely surrounding the young man.

When the light faded away, the surroundings were suddenly crystal clear. He was in Yugi's living room, but his old nemesis was nowhere in sight.

"Pretty cool trick, huh?" her disembodied voice echoed in Kaiba's mind. He rolled his eyes.

"Yugi was nothing more to me than a mere rival."

"Once again, not true," Ella said as she reappeared. "You considered him a close friend. Oh, no, I'm not asking you to admit that; trust me, I know you, and that won't happen in any lifetime. But I also know your heart. Yugi was the only person you ever fully trusted other than your brother."

"Or myself," Kaiba interjected pointedly.

"Please," Ella replied with a dismissive laugh and a wave of her hand.

Kaiba glared at her. What was the deal here? What was _her_ deal? No one had ever been responsive to him with such a confident (almost cocky) attitude. He heard a creaky door open and shut downstairs, footsteps walking up the stairs, and finally, Yugi appeared in the living room. His expression was unreadable to Kaiba, but he knew it wasn't good. Ella's eyes, on the other hand, were fixed on his Millennium puzzle.

"Just a warning, Yugi can't see us, but the spirit of his puzzle will be able to."

"Just tell me what I have to do so I can go see my brother!" Kaiba thundered. Yugi jumped a mile, and the spirit of the puzzle appeared right before him.

"Kaiba..." Yami said, surprised, but then he saw Ella, a knowing look crossing his face.

"Yami? Who are you talking to?" Yugi asked, glancing around nervously.

Kaiba froze, Ella stood there like nothing happened, and Yami turned to Yugi.

"No one, Yugi, I was thinking out loud. But it's time for you to rest...you need it to get your strength back."

"I know," Yugi said. "It just all seems so senseless." His large, violet eyes were sad and weary as he proceeded up a half-flight of stairs.

_I need to stay around Yugi until he is asleep to avoid suspicion. I will return after that. _Yami's voice echoed in Kaiba's head.

Ella turned to Kaiba, grinning. "Spirits have the ability to communicate with each other telepathically. That's why you hear him now. He's literally in your head."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Kaiba grumbled.

A smile played on her lips. "Only the part where I get to teach you humility and compassion. Not the situation itself. Anyhow, make yourself at home. Judging by Yugi's pain, sleep will not come easily."

"Are you his guide, too? How do you know what he's feeling?" Kaiba asked suspiciously.

Ella sighed. "No, I'm not, but I can feel all emotion coming from any given human being. It's part of the job, and it's meant to help me help you understand exactly what your friend is thinking."

"What did you get from me...when I was alive?" Kaiba inquired cautiously.

"Lots and lots of anger. There were many times where it almost completely blocked out your fear of abandonment and depression. But it never quite did."

"Fear of abandonment? What do you take me for, a scared little child?" he snapped.

"Actually, yes, that's about the size of it," Ella replied matter-of-factly. Before Kaiba could really lose it, however, Yami reappeared in the middle of the room.

_He's asleep, but only just. I think it would best for me to communicate like this for now, as he is able to see and hear me. _Yami turned to Kaiba. _This must be your guide into the afterlife. _He focused his attention back on the girl. _What should I call you?_

_My name is Ella, and yes, I'm showing Kaiba what his actions have done to the most important people in his life. I'm sure you know that this is what happens before one is permitted to move on; at least, in this sort of scenario._

"Seriously, I don't know about all this telepathy crap, but will you just tell me what I need to do so I can go take care of my brother?" Kaiba burst in.

Ella looked at Kaiba sharply. "First, you need to stop thinking about Mokuba and start focusing on Yugi. You need to understand him and help him first. Mokuba is your brother, he needs a longer grieving process before you put him on the path to healing. Now go upstairs to Yugi and channel yourself into his thoughts and emotions."

"And how the _hell_ does one do that?" If Kaiba still had blood, it would have been boiling.

Ella led Kaiba up the stairs to Yugi with Yami not far behind them. The three spirits formed a half-circle around Yugi, who appeared to be asleep, but clearly not sleeping well at all. He was curled up on his side and trembling. Kaiba looked over at Ella, whose eyebrows immediately shot up.

"It's been awhile since you've asked for help, huh?" she teased, but quickly became serious until Kaiba's menacing glare. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're affected by this. This might be easier than I thought. Now, you need to project yourself into his mind. Just focus all your energy on him. When you're there, you should be able to understand why he's feeling the way he does about what happened."

Kaiba turned his attention back to Yugi, and before he knew it, he was in another strange, ambiguous realm; this time, it wasn't with Ella, but with Yugi.

Yugi looked at him with another expression Kaiba didn't recognize. "You left everything behind. Your legacy, your family, and your destiny. You have always shown how selfish you truly are, but I believed that it was all a cover, because you never hesitated to help when someone could get hurt. And now, _you_ are the cause of hurt. Feel better now?"

_Careful, Seto, don't get angry. _Ella was watching._ Accept what he said. He vented what he needed to get out, now help him._

Kaiba swallowed his pride and fell to his knees. "No, Yugi, I don't. I regret what I did. I never fully realized how much you cared. I was so caught up in believing I was alone that I never thought to reach out to anybody when things got too tough...and I know it's no excuse, but that's where I was. I'm so sorry, Yugi."

Yugi reached out to touch Seto's shoulder. To Kaiba's surprise, he felt it, and responded by pulling him into a very awkward, semi-grateful hug.

After Yugi pulled away, he looked directly at Kaiba. "I know this isn't really a dream."

Kaiba hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I needed to know the consequences of my actions. Take care, Yugi..."

And then he was back with Ella and Yami. Yugi's sleeping form was now much more relaxed and peaceful. He rolled over onto his stomach and stretched out without so much as a sigh.

"I'm proud of you, Seto," Ella whispered, smiling. "That was exactly right."

Kaiba turned to Yami and they nodded at each other. Then he looked at Ella, who brought him to Mokuba. The elder Kaiba brother was relieved to see he was still at home. He watched, confused, as Téa walked down the staircase to the couch. She had the TV on the lowest possible volume, but didn't appear to be watching it anyhow.

"She's stunned, but you two weren't close. You're here for Mokuba," Ella cut in. Kaiba held his tongue against delivering a rude comeback to assure her that he hadn't forgotten why he was here. They went up the stairs, and as soon as they reached the top, Kaiba started hearing sobs. He rushed with Ella to Mokuba's room, and the sight was too heartbreaking for him to bear. He attempted to turn around and leave, but the guide stopped him.

"No, Seto, _you_ caused this. You need to help him through this."

"I can't exactly put myself into someone's subconscious when they're awake and...and _this_." He motioned at Mokuba sprawled on the floor, bawling into a blanket in order to muffle the sound. Mokuba suddenly ripped off his locket that contained a photo of Seto as a child, and threw it at the wall. It split and shattered.

"No, but you can influence him to feel your presence. Go over and put your hand on his back," Ella directed.

Kaiba did so, and Mokuba immediately shot to his feet.

"Are you happy now, Seto? Are you smiling again? Because now I know why it's better to not need anybody, and why you wanted to be alone so bad. And I'm going to grow up to be just like _you_!" he shouted through his tears.

"No," Kaiba begged, and much to his surprise, Mokuba froze. "Please."

"He knows you're here, Seto," Ella offered. "So I'm going to grant you visibility."

Before Seto could protest, Mokuba turned around and looked directly at him, and if looks could kill, Kaiba might have died all over again.

"Why does this not surprise me?" Mokuba muttered bitterly.

"Mokuba, I'm here to help you. I'm forced to deal with what I've done for all eternity, but you can learn from my mistakes..."

"_Mistake_?" Mokuba spat. "You left me. You promised we'd always be together, and you were all that I had. And you lied."

For the first time ever, Kaiba felt absolutely helpless. He looked over at Ella, who was watching. She shook her head and motioned back to Mokuba. Seto allowed tears to shine in his blue eyes.

Mokuba noticed, and just as Kaiba thought would happen, his anger drained away. He started to cry, and repeated over and over how much he missed his big brother. Kaiba leaned over and placed a kiss on his little brother's forehead. "I love you forever...you're never alone, and don't make any of the mistakes I did..." He looked over at Ella. "I'll make sure someone shows you the right way."

Mokuba sniffled. "Good bye, big brother..."

When his tearful face suddenly turned contemplative, Kaiba knew Ella had caused him to be invisible again. He turned to her.

"I want to thank you, Ella, for all that you've done. I mean, when I think of the word 'angel,' you aren't exactly what comes to mind, but it worked."

"Of course it worked…why do you think I was assigned to you?" Ella asked, rolling her eyes.

"Assigned? By who?" asked Kaiba.

Ella smiled at him and waved her arms. Seto disappeared in the same bright light that she appeared to him in.

"You'll see."


End file.
